Bartlett Guilty Of 8 Charges In First Fairfield Fill Pile Trial

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Scott Bartlett, Fairfield's former public works superintendent, was found guilty of eight out of nine charges Wednesday in connection with illegal dumping of contaminated soil from Owen Fish Pond, the first of two trials in the sprawling Fairfield fill pile case.

At the same time, Brian Carey, Fairfield's former conservation director and former interim public works director, was found not guilty on all counts. Both men were charged with seven counts of illegal solid waste disposal; one count of receiving solid waste without a permit; and conspiracy.

The jury, which deliberated a little over three hours following the 10-day trial, found Bartlett not guilty of the conspiracy charge, but he still faces up to 16 years in prison (2 years on each of the guilty verdicts). He is scheduled to be sentenced by Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton on July 10.

This trial was the first the two men will face; the second trial, which is the main fill pile case, is set to begin in June. In addition to Bartlett and Carey, four additional defendants have also been charged in that case:

• Former Fairfield human resources director Emmet Hibson
• Robert J. Grabarek, an environmental contractor hired by the town
• Former Fairfield chief financial officer Robert Mayer
• Jason Julian, co-owner of Julian Enterprises

A seventh defendant, former Fairfield public works director Joe Michelangelo, pleaded guilty in the fill pile case, and testified against Bartlett and Carey. It is anticipated that he will testify against the other defendants in the second trial.

"We are glad the jury found that the evidence supported the guilty verdict for Mr. Bartlett," a spokesperson for the State's Attorney's Office told Patch. "Our office will continue to pursue the pending charges against Brian Carey."

Both Bartlett and Carey rejected plea deals in the case, in which the two would have faced prison time as part of their sentencing.

Patch reached out to attorney John Gulash, Carey's lawyer, and attorney Frederick Paoletti, Bartlett's lawyer, but neither immediately responded to requests for comment.